The described invention relates in general to systems, methods, and compositions for detecting redox modulated proteins, and more specifically to antibodies for detecting redox modulated proteins including glutathionylated proteins.
Recent scientific research indicates that increased levels of redox modulated proteins in mammals are critical indicators of cellular stress and disease states. Redox is a change in oxidation, and its occurrence signals a change in cellular function. Detecting redox modulated proteins with specificity and measuring the respective levels thereof is critical for understanding the mechanisms of redox homeostasis that are occurring in certain disease processes. The detection of these proteins facilitates understanding of the redox modification of a specific protein that undergoes redox modifications occurring early in disease processes, thereby allowing earlier intervention in the disease process and the prevention of further cellular damage. However, because the significance of these proteins is a relatively new discovery, little advancement has been made with regard to detecting redox modulated proteins and few methods and compositions exist for detecting and measuring redox modulated proteins with any degree of specificity. Currently available tools such as analytical and proteomic approaches are not sensitive or cost effective and are not compatible with direct visualization techniques. Accordingly, there is a need for better systems, devices, methods, and compositions for detecting redox modulated proteins and further understanding the role thereof in numerous diseases including, for example, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension, cancer, and diabetes.